Farm work, permaculture, child care and small building in the Drôme valley, France

Details

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  Description

  We are a family of 4 living in the South of France. Well, not exactly South-south, it's more a middle-south area :)
  
  Léo is a market gardener : he grows organic vegetables and fruit in his farm, 13kms away from our house. Ariane is a primary school teacher, and sometimes turns Léo's vegetables and fruits into delicious preserves (jam, coulis, fermented vegetables...)
  
  We are rather quiet, but can be talkative. Léo loves music, Ariane loves silence ; we both need daily moments of solitude to stay sane :)
  We always have new improving ideas, Léo about his farm and Ariane about home and the kids.
  We are both cooking enthusiasts, and often (gently) fight to know who will be cooking dinner ;)
  
  Ariane has heavy back pains, that's why she needs help with the kids :) She's self-autonomous, but can't drive long-distance and can't carry anything heavy. She needs to exercise 1-2hrs/day to keep the pain away.
  
  Elsa (9 yrs old) and Gaël (5 yrs old) go to school 4 days/week. In July and August, they are both at home all day with Ariane -Léo works full time in summer. Elsa is a lovely but shy little girl, it takes her a few days before she feels comfortable with strangers. Gaël is a sociable, smiling and enthusiastic little boy ; they both get along very well.
  
  When Ariane had no kids (loooooong time ago !), she used to volunteer in a eco-house building project, and loved to learn new skills, share a family life and bring all the help, ideas and energy she had.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We would be glad to share everything we know ! If you want to expriment funny ways of preserving food, how to grow vegetables or children with a permacultural approach, how to re-use and recycle everything that can be, in the house or the garden... welcome !
  
  If you love to go hiking, cycling, paragliding, sailplaning, canoeing... la Drôme is made for you !
  
  And if you want to improve in French, welcome ! English native-speakers : if it's okay with you, Ariane would really love to practice English a little bit... she studied 1 year in UK (10 years ago, wow !) and doesn't have any opportunities to talk with native speakers, and misses it !

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Help us in our family day life : childcare, or farm work... depending on what you like to do/ want to learn !
  
  PLEASE NOTE : Leo is VERY uncomfortable with the language barrier... so if you're not fluent enough in French, he can't welcome you at the farm :( However, Ariane is fluent in english, and english-speakers are welcome to help at home :)
  
  Léo would need help in his farm to : build a half-buried cellar, a solar drying-shed and a toolshed, take care of the trees and plants, harvest.
  He starts work very early in the summer (6 or 6:30 am), to work while the temperature is sustainable. In the late autumn and winter, he doesn't start before 8:30/9 am.
  Volunteers help with him in the morning (5 hours) , 5 days a week, and are free in the afternoon (and 2 days a week). Please let him know in advance which days you want off, so that he can plan the week work ahead.
  
  Léo's farm is quite new, and he even't doesn't make a salary for himself, so it's definitely impossible for him to pay wages to volunteers. For farmstay, he's looking for volunteers, in exchange for his knowledge, meals, accomodation, and good sharing time and ideas :)
  
  Ariane would need help at home to take care of the kids, and cook large amounts of fruit/vegetables (depending on the harvest) for preserves.
  
  The people we especially enjoy working with are curious, compassionate, respectful and cheerful, like us :)

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  If you help in the house, you will have your own room : it's small but comfy ! Bathroom will be shared with the rest of the family. The house is quite small (90m2), but is very nice and we have a tiny garden :)
  
  If you help in the farm, you can either stay at home or in the small caravan that's onsite, knowing that it's a little rough : there is neither electricity nor tap water (drinking water is brought from home and stored in jars, there is a stream and a solar shower for ablutions :) But the spot is incredibly peaceful, and the view over the mountains is amazing : it's worth it !
  
  Meals are shared at home (or in the field, at lunch, if you work with Leo) ; it's a privileged moment during which we share food, thoughts and experiences :) We cook healthy, organic meals from scratch, mostly Léo's products. We used to be (but no longer are) vegetarians, most of our meals are vegetarian or vegan ; Ariane eats gluten and dairy-free.
  As it's a moment we like to share, we also appreciate that the cooking, setting and clearing the table, and doing the dishes are shared too... especially since dinners are really busy with two young kids ! :)
  
  If you stay at the caravan, know that it's 13km away from our town, and 3km from the nearest village with shops, cafés, bakeries... and everything you need. We can lend you a bike for the duration of your stay.
  Léo takes breakfast and lunch on the field and shares it with volunteers. For dinner, you will be on your own at the caravan. We could either leave you a ready mealbox, or leave you groceries if you want to cook your own meals. Vegetables are to be found on the spot :)
  
  We care for mutual respect and communication, both with adults and children. Misunderstangings can be terrible, so please let us know if you're not comfortable with something !
  We are outdoors smokers, so please don't smoke in the house or in the caravan :)
  We have a lovely cat, be careful if you're allergic =)

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  What else ...

  The region we live in, la Drôme, provides us with everything we love : rivers, low mountains, and forests. We live in a small city (8000 inhabitants) that is crossed by the river Drôme. There are bathing spots within 10min walk :) There are all the conveniences of the town (shops, food markets...), and we're not far from hiking tracks or river swimming spots.
  
  There is a small train station in our town, and buses can bring you almost everywhere in the area (but not often !)

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  4/5 hours a day max, 5 days a week. 4/5 heures par jour max, 5 j/sem.

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